Former Australian cricketing legend Michael Hussey has weighed in on the future of off-spinner Nathan Lyon, declaring that he sees no end to the road for the veteran cricketer. The West Australian believes that Lyon still has plenty to offer the Australian Test side and expects him to continue for a few more years.
At 35 years of age, Lyon produced one of his best Test performances in the third Test against India in Nagpur, taking 11 wickets in the game to script a nine-wicket victory for Australia. Despite not having the desired start to the series, he bounced back with a fifer in the first innings in Delhi.
Hussey, speaking on SEN Sportsday, predicts that Lyon has plenty of time left in international cricket if his body holds up, stating that spinners usually enter their peak into their late 30s. He stated, “As long as he wants really. He’s been amazing with his longevity, and he’s still pretty young really. He’s got years and years to go, as long as his body keeps holding up. They always say spinners come into their peak into their 30s and maybe into their late 30s, it’s a tough art, and I don’t see why he can’t keep going for a long time.”
As Australia’s most successful off-spinner, Lyon dismissed the likes of Cheteshwar Pujara, Rohit Sharma, KS Bharat, Ravindra Jadeja, and Ravichandran Ashwin during his fiery performance in Indore. His dismissal of Pujara twice meant that he has accounted for the right-hander 13 times in Tests. Rohit Sharma even admitted that Lyon is arguably among the best he has faced in home conditions.
Hussey also weighed in on Australia’s second spinner, comparing Matthew Kuhnemann and Todd Murphy. He believes that Kuhnemann edges out Murphy by a fraction as he turns the ball away from right-handed batsmen. However, he did acknowledge Murphy’s impressive debut performance in Nagpur, where he took seven wickets and dismissed Virat Kohli thrice in the series.
As Nathan Lyon’s legacy continues to grow, cricket fans around the world will be eagerly watching his performance in upcoming games to see if he can maintain his place as one of the greatest off-spinners of all time.